Topic: Proposals and Engagements
How does Taiwan mark Proposals and Engagements?
Everyday topic
Engagement in Taiwan is a legal betrothal. Since the 2021 amendment, in force from 2023, the age is seventeen for engagement and eighteen for marriage, the same for everyone. The decisive provision is Article 975 of the Civil Code: performance of a betrothal cannot be compelled — even after an engagement, one party cannot sue to force the marriage, only to claim damages. So engagement in Taiwan carries considerable ceremonial weight, with the formal proposal, the betrothal gifts and the ceremony, while the law deliberately leaves a way out. Disputes over betrothal gifts are therefore handled in Taiwan as claims for return, not as demands that the other party marry.
What is this topic?
An engagement is not a marriage. Taiwan sets engagement at 17 and marriage at 18, and a promise to marry cannot be forced; Indonesia sets the minimum marriage age at 19 for both sexes, with lamaran serving first as public family recognition. Mainland Chinese disputes often concern the return of bride price, Japan has no dedicated engagement statute, India is shaped by personal laws, Brazil allows free marriage at 18, and US ring disputes are handled state by state. This guide compares social meaning, family negotiation, consent, and legal weight.
Sources and dates
Dates follow local time zones, calendars, and official notices. Check the source when a date is estimated or locally variable.